The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-10-20
THIRTY LIVES SACRIFICED.
The Horrors OF the Chatswortl, Disaster
Duplicated.

NORTH JUDsoN, Ind, Oct. l1.-An-
other Chatsworth railroad horror occur
red on the Chicago and Atlantic
Railroad this morning, sixty miles east
of Chicago, near Kout's station, Indiana.
Seventeen passengers were killed and
burned up in the wreck, and from
twenty-five to thirty we're more or less
injured. A heavy fresh meat train tel
escoped the evening accommodation
train, which leaves Chicago at 7.45 P. m.
The accommodation, with one baggage
car, two coaches and one sleeper, had
stopped at water tank for water, about
a mile west of Kouts, and the freight
train following crashed into the sleeper,
telescoping and burning up the entire
passenger train, as above stated.
VIM. Perry, Auditor Of this stark
county, and hi2 wife and child were VIC
Tins of the terrible fire, which broke out
almost Immediately after the freight
train crushed in among the passengers.
The Perrys lived here. Not particle of
their bodies was rescued from the flames.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
KoUTs STATION, Ind, Oct. 1.-THE
worst horrors of the Chatsworth disaster
were duplicated here to-day. A dozen
blood. stained, srnoke begrimed, injured
victims of railroad carelessness or blum
dering were brought into the villages
little station house early this morning,
and this afternoon the charred corpses of
victims of the same blundering or care.
lessness were laid upon the station plat
form, while three miles west, down the
track of the Chi go and Atlantic Rail-
road, near lonely old water tank, piles
of fearfully tangled debris marked the
spot where a collision seldom equalled
for terrible results had occurred.
According to the best estimate obtain
able, (for only an estimate was possible
fully thirty human lives had been sacri-
feed outright, and half that number of
persons had suffered injuries more or less
serious.
As nearly as can be gathered from the
confused stories told, the concrete facts
are that the passenger train was the east
bound express which left Chicago at us
last night. The eccentric strap had
broken and the driving wheels on one
side became useless. The engineer had
stopped at the water tank to repair,
thinking he could do so in few minutes.
he had not stopped more than one min.
ute, when a fast freight train, loaded
with dressed meats, crashed into the rear
of the train. The last car Of the train
was q heavy Pullman sleeper. This,
when struck by the freight engine, crush
ed the three coaches in front and appears
to have killed or wounf 4 everybody IN
them. Seven persons we're in the sleeper,
and these all escaped harm, except shock.
Accounts vary as to how the wreck
caught fire. Some attribute it to the coal
in the freight engine; but one passenger
who was rescued from the crushed
coaches says that while fastened between
two car seats he saw the gas with which
the car was lighted suddenly fill the
upper part of the car with flame, the gas
pipes having apparently been broken and
the escaping gas caught from the lighted
burners.
No evidence appears in any of the
stories that q fagman was sent to the
rear when the train stopped, or that any
precaution was taken to guard against
such an accident, excepting that the
night telegraph operator at Kouts says
the rear brakeman on the passenger train
hung out red lantern when the train
stopped. The men on the passenger
train were fully aware that the freight
train was following them.